


This Broken Heart Can Still Survive (with a touch of your grace)

by catrasredemption (dimensionhoppingrose)



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: A little angst, Canon Gay Relationship, Communication - the greatest trope of all, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Mentions of Emotional Abuse, Mentions of sex (mostly not wanting it), Post-Season 5, asexual characters!, bby gay needs adult gays help, mostly from Catra about her life, sprinkles of other relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:08:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24855835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dimensionhoppingrose/pseuds/catrasredemption
Summary: The pile of friends roll off each other, slumping on the ground and laughing. “So,” Bow finally asks, drawing the word out, “is Catra okay?”“I… don’t know.” Adora sighs, covering her face. “Sometimes she seems fine, sometimes she seems jumpy. One time she almost clawed me because I touched her in her sleep — she didn’t! It was just a reaction. But it was a close call. And she… I don’t know.” Adora slumps, as if she can sink into the ground. “I don’t think she wants me to touch her.”“I’m sure that’s not true,” Glimmer assures her. “I’ve seen you two holding hands and kissing.”“Yeah, sometimes. But maybe she’s just doing that to make me happy.”“I’m… pretty sure you don’t have to worry about that.”“What if she doesn’t really want to be with me?”“Youdefinitelydon’t have to worry about that.”"—OR—Catra has some serious touch-aversion issues. Adora worries.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 500





	This Broken Heart Can Still Survive (with a touch of your grace)

**Author's Note:**

> Asexual Catra? Asexual Catra.
> 
> Also Asexual Spinnerella.
> 
> Asexual characters. I'm just saying.
> 
> I ended up accidentally switching between tenses every other paragraph, so I tried to get it all in present tense. Sorry if you see any wonky changes.

Catra is surrounded by romantic disasters.

Not in a _bad_ way — everyone is perfectly happy. But they’re also just… idiots. Bow and Glimmer constantly giggle like children every time they hold hands. Catra isn’t sure if Scorpia has figured out yet she’s dating Perfuma. Mermista and Sea Hawk are… no. Just no. She’d sooner die than swallow her pride and ask Lonnie, Kyle, or Rogelio for help (they’d made amends and all but going to them for relationship advice would be humiliating). And it’s frustrating — well and truly _frustrating_ — on the occasions that Catra wants to ask someone for help and finds her options to be lacking.

Which is how she finds herself in one of the princess meetings, watching Netossa and Spinerella and working up the nerve to talk to them when Glimmer _finally_ lets them go.

Before they rescued Spinerella, Netossa had asked Catra if there was anything she could do to make things easier on her when they got her back. They’d had a long conversation about different ways to remind Spinerella that this was reality and she wasn’t hallucinating and Horde Prime couldn’t control her anymore. Netossa had felt a lot better by the end of it, and even thanked Catra for her help. Perfuma said later it sounded like they had bonded.

After the dust had settled, Catra had been slightly strong-armed by Perfuma into talking to the other formerly chipped princesses about their experiences, and everyone had exchanged their stories. Catra gave the others a very watered down version of what had happened to her, and had _still_ ended up with looks of pity. She’d been surprised when Spinerella had been the first to react, resting a hand on her shoulder (and likely saving her from Scorpia’s crushing hug).

They’re good people. And unlike every other mess in this group, they seem to have a happy, stable relationship that has evolved passed the “this is still new and we have no idea what we’re doing” phase. And that’s what Catra really needs — two people who know what the hell they’re doing.

Adora is twitching, her knee bouncing. Catra had given up on trying to keep her still, instead letting Adora fidget with her tail so at least she would stop tapping her fingers on the table and driving _everyone_ insane. She isn’t the only one clearly ready to be done — Frosta is shifting in her seat, making small noises of irritation, Scorpia has fallen asleep twice, Spinerella and Netossa have started exchanging notes, and even Glimmer looks annoyed at how much she’s talking.

“Okay,” she finally concludes with a sigh. “Are there any questions?”

Glares go around the table, each person daring one another to raise their hand. No one does; Glimmer claps her hands together, smiling in relief. “Great! Someone take Adora for a run or something before I teleport her out the window.”

“Rude,” Adora grumbles, standing.

“You kept moving the table with your knee.”

“Well _you_ kept talking!”

Glimmer can’t argue with that. She sighs, falling back in her chair. Adora grabs Catra’s hand. “Come on, Entrapta left like an hour ago to finish working on the new battle sims. She probably needs a test runner or two.”

“Um, actually…” Catra hesitates, gaze drifting around uncertainly. “I’ll catch up later, okay?”

Adora blinks, staring at Catra for a moment. They’re still working on a lot of things, and one of them is being apart for more than five minutes. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just… I need to…” Catra is screaming internally. Why is this so hard?

“I’d love to see what Entrapta’s been working on.” Glimmer to the rescue. She and Bow descend on Adora from behind, each resting on one shoulder. “Bet She-Ra can’t take both of us at once.”

Adora scoffs, immediately distracted. “Please, she could take you two plus however many bots Entrapta has built.”

“Oh yeah? Prove it.” Glimmer grins wickedly, tugging Adora away; the three of them disappear in a shower of sparkles as soon as Catra’s hand is free. She smiles.

 _I owe you, Sparkles_.

Netossa and Spinerella are still sitting, talking and lost in their own world. Catra feels bad about interrupting. She takes a few steps toward them, then stops, one arm grasping the other. _Maybe I should’ve just gone with Adora, this is stupid, I’m being stupid, I_ —

“Catra?” Netossa’s curious voice shakes Catra out of her spiraling thoughts. She jumps, ears flattening against her skull. She hates those things sometimes. “You okay?”

“Yeah!” Catra says, a little too fast. “I was just… um… if you guys aren’t busy, I…” _Stupid, stupid, stupid, this is stupid, what are you—_

The wives exchange a look and smile, standing in unison. Netossa stands on one side of Catra, Spinerella on the other, effectively sandwiching her in.

“Let’s go somewhere more comfortable.”

* * *

_More comfortable_ is the highest tower of the palace for Catra. Getting up higher than everything and everyone else always makes her feel better. “Heckuva view,” Netossa says, leaning against the balcony railing. The tower looks out over the Whispering Woods, which seem a lot less menacing since magic had been returned to the land.

“It’s really nice at night with the stars.” Catra’s lying on the railing in a way only she can manage. “Adora’s been studying astronomy, so sometimes we come up here and she’ll try to find constellations to show me.”

“That sounds like fun,” Spinerella says brightly.

“Sorry Spinny, I’m too old to start learning new things.”

Spinerella rolls her eyes, waving Netossa off. “Ignore her, she’s dramatic sometimes. Now, you wanted to talk?”

“I… Yeah, I guess I do.”

Netossa leans into her line of view. “You’re not good at this, are you?”

“Not really.”

Spinerella rests her arms on the railing, near Catra’s feet. “Is it about Adora?”

Catra struggles not to blush. It’s fine, this is what she’s here for. It’s fine. “Yeah. Kind of.”

“Is it about your relationship?”

“Um…” Catra covers her eyes, groaning. “I suck at this.”

Netossa and Spinnerella exchange patient looks, trying not to laugh at the girl’s dramatics. “Is something _wrong_?” Netossa asks. She has a feeling direct questions will help.

“No? I mean, yes. Kind of? There’s something wrong with _me_.”

Another look. “How so?”

Catra’s quiet for a moment, staring at the sky. “I um… Adora and I have always been really physical, ya know? Like, pushing each other around, grabbing each other, stuff like that. It’s kind of the closest thing there was to affection in the Horde.” They’re still like that. It’s far more common to see Adora shoving Catra away from her, laughing, than it is to see them hugging or holding hands. Sure, they have their small moments of affection, but they’re rare. “But sometimes when we’re… I dunno, like she’ll try take my hand or hug me, or even just roll over in her sleep and try to cuddle with me and I… freak out. Especially if she grabs me when we’re both sleeping. It’s _terrifying_ when she tries to hold my hand when there are other people around, and I always feel… trapped when she goes to hug me. And I’m not scared! Nothing about Adora is scary.”

“But you still panic when she tries to to be affectionate,” Netossa guesses. Catra nods once. “Do you not… _want_ her to touch you?”

“No! I mean, I want to hold her hand and hug her and just… do all those normal things couples do. And it’s _stupid_.”

“It’s not stupid,” Spinerella assures Catra gently. “Your feelings aren’t stupid. You’ve never been in a relationship before, have you?” Catra shakes her head. “So first, there are no _normal_ couple things. Every relationship is different and people always act different. You’ve seen everyone here and how they act.”

“Mermista’s idea of affection is locking Sea Hawk out of the palace for only a couple hours,” Netossa says with a small snicker. “His is sea shanties though, so… she might be on to something.”

“Doesn’t he still try to serenade her under the balcony?”

“Yup. We need to visit some time. Perfuma saw it firsthand and it sounds hilarious.”

Spinnerella shakes her head and moves on. “Bow and Glimmer have the cutesy baby love thing going on.” Catra groans loudly. “You get to see that a lot, don’t you?”

“Every single day.”

“The point is there’s no _right_ way to be together,” Netossa says. “Plenty of _weird_ ways, but no right way.”

“I _guess_.” Catra sighs. Netossa leans over her again, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m going to ask a _really_ personal question, so can you get off the railing?”

“Why, do you think I’ll throw myself over it?”

“Kind of.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Netossa pulls back, shaking her head. “Your funeral. How’s your sex life?”

Catra’s face burns red; she immediately jumps off the railing with a yelp, thankfully on the right side (rather than falling to her death. She-Ra can only save her so many times), and for a moment it looks like she’s going to bolt. Finally, she just groans and slides down against the wall, hiding her face in her knees.

“Told you.”

“You could’ve been a bit softer about it, darling.”

“I’m not going to start babying _Catra_.” They sit down so they’re eye level with Catra — if she ever looks at them again. “So I’m guessing that’s a no.”

“We don’t… We haven’t… I…” _This_ is why Catra doesn’t ask people for help. They’re probably going to go home and laugh at her. Stupid Catra and her dumb questions…

“Hey, it’s okay.” Spinerella cuts through the inner monologue of shame. “Whatever you say won’t leave this tower, we promise.”

Catra dares to peak up from her knees. They’re both giving her soft and honest smiles, and as much as her mind is screaming to _run away_ , this is what she had wanted, right?

“We… haven’t really done that,” she mumbles into her legs. Catra with any kind of shame isn’t really a thing Spinerella or Netossa are used to. But they manage to keep their amusement to themselves.

“Because you haven’t talked about it or haven’t gotten around to it or don’t want to or…?”

Catra’s ears are flat against her head as she hides her eyes again. “I don’t know. All of that? I don’t… really want… to.”

“You don’t want to have sex?” Catra curls in tighter on herself. “No, hey, not judging!” Netossa says quickly. “Spinny’s the same way.”

One blue eye peeks out from Catra’s knees. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Spinnerella shrugs. “Not interested, never really have been.”

The eye looks at Netossa. “And you’re okay with that?”

“I married her, didn’t I?”

Spinerella leans over to kiss Netossa’s cheek. “Some people are just wired that way. It’s like attraction. We don’t understand being attracted to men because we’re not, but it’s just as valid.”

“Although I question Mermista sometimes…”

“Different people want different things. You’re perfectly fine if you don’t want to have sex.”

Catra is slowly looking up, the tension draining from her shoulders. “I am?” Her voice is small and insecure and nothing at all like the Horde warlord they’d fought for three years. It’s taking time to get used to that.

“Yes,” Netossa says firmly. “And you haven’t talked to Adora about _any_ of this, have you?”

Catra shakes her head, resting her forehead against her knees again. “I don’t know. I can barely let her hold my hand sometimes. Maybe I’m just broken.”

“ _That_ is probably a different thing. An also completely valid but different thing,” Netossa says. “Do you _want_ to hold Adora’s hand?”

Catra thinks about it for a moment before nodding. “It’d be nice. Or letting her hold me while we sleep or whatever.”

“All right. I’m going to ask another really super personal question, but it’s not nearly as bad. Okay?” Another nod. “You’re perfectly fine with shoving each other around and Adora getting in your face, but gentle affection is a no. Could there maybe be a _reason_ for that?”

It’s amazing how much they can tell about Catra’s feelings just by how her ears move; they perk for a moment as if in understanding, then droop again. “What do you mean?”

“Well… We’ve met Shadow Weaver.” Catra looks up. “And, no offense, but it’s pretty easy to see why you and Adora are so screwed up. That lady was…”

“Terrible?” Catra supplies helpfully.

“Pretty much. She seemed like the passive aggressive type. Did she ever use affection to mess with you?”

Catra’s gaze drifts away, fixing on an unknown point, remembering the way Shadow Weaver had showered Adora passive aggressive affection while withholding it from Catra, and then giving it to her exactly once — and using her to escape from prison. “If you’re used to seeing that kind of affection as a form of manipulation, you’re going to be scared when someone tries to be genuine with you.”

“Adora went through all the same crap, though. Why is it so easy for her?”

“Because she left the Horde and spent three years in a healthier environment with Bow and Glimmer who hug like they breathe. She’s had time to get used to it and not be scared. Have you even started trying to deal with any of that?”

“No,” Catra admits. Unwinding the hell Shadow Weaver had put her through is a huge, overbearing task that’s terrifying to look at.

“Do you have _any_ positive memories associated with affection?”

Catra thinks about it for a moment, then groans. “Scorpia.”

Spinerella laughs. “We did notice she’s a hugger.”

“I think she almost broke me the first time we met.” Catra rolls her shoulders, grimacing. “But… yeah. I guess that’s about it.”

“Scorpia’s a big presence, but it’s probably not enough to negate years of abuse from a parental figure. You’ve got a lot to unpack. Talking to Adora might help.”

Netossa adds that last part pointedly. Catra makes a face. “I don’t know how to bring it up. She’s going to think I’m insane.”

“Adora looks at you like you put the stars in the sky,” Spinerella assures her. “She’s not going to think you’re insane.”

Catra doesn’t feel too convinced. “So the whole being afraid of touch thing and the not wanting sex thing probably aren’t related?”

“Start dealing with some of the gentle affection issues and see how you feel,” Spinerella suggests. “You might find things changing. But something tells me they’re two very different things. You can’t figure it out just by spinning it around in your head, though.”

“So I have to talk to her.”

“It might be a start, yeah.” Catra’s entire body slumps, sighing. The noise sounds like it’s coming from the very depths of her soul. “Catra, Adora loves you. I promise. _We_ promise. And we’re happy to help if you have any questions. But talk to her first and see what happens. Okay?”

“Yeah.” Catra sighs, rubbing her eyes. “Um… thanks for… all this.”

“Nothing to thank us for. Honestly, if this keeps you from trying to take over the world again, we consider it our duty as princesses to help.”

That, thankfully, earns Netossa a weak but sincere smile.

* * *

Bow and Glimmer, it turns out, can in fact take on She-Ra. They can’t _beat_ her, because no one could beat She-Ra. But they definitely kick her around the training sim a few times.

The trio collapses into a pile in the middle of the ground, groaning. “What do you guys think?” Entrapta asks excitedly from the control room.

“Seems great, Entrapta.” Adora gives her a thumbs up.

“Needs more moving targets,” Bow adds.

“I can make those!”

The pile of friends roll off each other, slumping on the ground and laughing. “So,” Bow finally asks, drawing the word out, “is Catra okay?”

“I… don’t know.” Adora sighs, covering her face. “Sometimes she seems fine, sometimes she seems jumpy. One time she almost clawed me because I touched her in her sleep — she didn’t! It was just a reaction. But it was a close call. And she… I don’t know.” Adora slumps, as if she can sink into the ground. “I don’t think she wants me to touch her.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Glimmer assures her. “I’ve seen you two holding hands and kissing.”

“Yeah, sometimes. But maybe she’s just doing that to make me happy.”

“I’m… pretty sure you don’t have to worry about that.”

“What if she doesn’t really want to be with me?”

“You _definitely_ don’t have to worry about that.” Glimmer sits up, crossing her legs and looking down at Adora. “I know you don’t see it because you’re not looking, but her face when she looks at you is…”

“She basically has hearts in her eyes,” Bow finishes. “She gets this kind of small, silly smile and her ears perk up a bit and she… definitely doesn’t look at anyone else that way.”

Adora slides her hands down her face to look at her friends. “Really?”

“Yes. She loves you. Trust us.”

“Then what am I doing wrong?” Adora drops her arms to sprawl out on the ground.

“I don’t think it’s you,” Glimmer says. “I think this is a Catra thing that she needs to work on.”

“I wish she’d let me help,” Adora grumbles, closing her eyes.

“Has she _ever_ let you help?”

“No. Sometimes. It’s complicated.”

“Exactly,” Bow says. “Everything is a little complicated with you two. And that’s not really surprising considering everything that’s happened. It’s only been a month. You can’t expect everything to change overnight.”

“I don’t… I mean, I know, I don’t expect everything to just change. I just want to know how to help her.”

“Then maybe you should ask,” Bow suggests. “See how she reacts. I know you two aren’t exactly great at communication, but…”

“It’s never too late to get better at it.”

Adora smiles at her friends, feeling a bit better. “Yeah. Thanks, guys.”

Bow and Glimmer fall down on Adora, hugging her tight, and she laughs, returning the hug. She’s lucky to have them. She’s lucky to have this life. She’s _happy_. She wants Catra to be happy too.

They can work out whatever’s wrong. She knows they can.

* * *

Catra is curled up on the balcony, lying against Melog and sleeping, when Adora returns. The sun is setting, casting one last spot of light for the two cats to nap in. They look so peaceful. Adora, not for the first time, wishes she had a camera or the ability to draw. It’s such a rare moment of serenity. She wants to preserve it.

Instead she lies on the bed, resting on her stomach, watching Catra and Melog. She really is happy they’d found him; he had been so good for Catra, and for sorting out her emotions. Maybe he can help with this as well.

Whatever _this_ is.

Adora is half-dozing when the sun disappears, stirring Catra from her slumber; she looks around, catching sight of Adora on the bed, and must not realize she’s awake, her eyes barely open. She smiles that same, soft smile Bow and Glimmer had described. A smile she had _definitely_ never given anyone else.

_Okay, maybe Bow and Glimmer are right._

“Hey,” she calls in a voice still thick with sleep, pushing herself up. She walks into the room and shakes Adora to wake her up. Adora opens her eyes fully, smiling.

“Hey. Good nap?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“I had a great view.”

Melog wanders inside, yawning, and flops down at Adora’s feet. Catra lies down beside Adora, on her back, a thoughtful yet troubled flicker in her gaze.

“Can we… talk about something?”

The hesitant tone isn’t completely unfamiliar, but it‘s still startling to hear from Catra. Adora isn’t sure she’ll ever really get used to Catra being vulnerable after so many years of apathy and spite.

“Yeah, of course.” Adora crosses her arms to pillow her head in them, watching Catra and waiting for her. Her eyes are flicking about, trying to find a good way to start this. She’s never been good at hiding her actual thinking process.

“I… wanted to talk to Netossa and Spinerella after the meeting. That’s why I didn’t go with you.” Not exactly what Adora had been expecting, but okay. She nods silently, encouraging Catra to continue. “I um… I wanted to ask them about some things, and the conversation _definitely_ didn’t go the way I was expecting, but it helped with figuring some stuff out.”

“Like what?”

“Like why it’s so hard to let you touch me sometimes.” Adora blinks a few times, the gears in her brain spinning to life. Had she said something? No, she wouldn’t do that, she doesn’t want to make Catra feel bad. Had she acted weird about it? Catra is good at picking up on things like that, and Adora tries not to be weird, she really does, sometimes she just… really wants a hug and being rebuffed feels bad and—

“Adora, stop thinking so loud.”

All thoughts grind to a halt. “What?”

“I can hear your mind going. It’s nothing you did, okay? I promise.” The words ease some of Adora’s anxiety. “It’s just… me. I _want_ to be stupid and look like an idiot like Bow and Glimmer, or hell, I’d settle for being like Scorpia and Perfuma, and I’m pretty sure Scorpia still has no clue what’s going on there…”

Her voice drifts off. She sighs, running her fingers through her hair. “But?” Adora prompts.

“But it’s… hard. I never really thought about it before, but Shadow Weaver always used that kind of thing against us, usually for you and to make me feel bad, but once…” Catra closes her eyes. Not a good sign, especially when it comes to Shadow Weaver talk. “Just _once_ , she finally acted like she cared about me, like I could mean something to her, and I completely fell for it. I helped her get out of the Fright Zone, and she left me behind.” Adora winces, her own gaze shifting away. “And it was easy to forget all that at first, after Horde Prime was gone and everyone was happy. But I have time to _think_ about things now and it just gets worse every time I try, and I can’t make myself see the difference between what she did and the way everyone around here is, and even when she’s _dead_ she’s still screwing with me and I hate it!”

Catra vaults off the bed; Adora sits up to watch her walk toward the balcony, stop, and just stare out at the night sky. Melog sits up, his mane a faint purplish-blue that almost looks like a bruise. Adora scratches his ears gently, waiting for Catra to collect herself. “And I can’t even blame her,” Catra says finally, her voice thick with tears she refuses to shed. “Because this is my fault. I should be better at this. I should be able to control what I feel, or at least keep her out of my head. But I _can’t_ , and I keep looking for excuses or quick fixes and there just… aren’t any. I’m trapped in this and I have no idea how to get out.”

“Catra…” Adora sighs, reaching a hand out but not daring to touch her. “Please come here.”

A long moment of silence passes, but finally Catra turns, taking Adora’s hand. Adora pulls her back to sit on the bed and lets go. “First off, what Shadow Weaver did to you isn’t your fault.”

“No, but how I reacted to it is.”

“Yes, it is. But it’s not like you had many good examples in the Horde. And I’m not trying to make excuses for you, but you also have to give yourself a break. Shadow Weaver screwed us both up. You can’t take responsibility for the things she did to you, and you can’t change how you acted in the past. But you’re in a better place now. You’re surrounded by people who love you and who want to help you, if you let us.”

Catra finally raises her gaze to meet Adora’s, nodding once. “I’m trying.”

“I know you are. You _asked_ Netossa and Spinerella for help, that’s a really big step, and I’m really proud of you.” Adora smiles gently, raising a hand. She pauses right before she touches Catra’s ear. “Can I?”

Catra nods, and Adora starts scratching behind her ear. That had always been her favorite spot. And some things never changed; Catra relaxes a little, a small purr building in her chest.

“Second,” Adora continues, “if you’re not comfortable with being touched, or with certain kinds of touch, then I’ll just have to be more careful. We’re supposed to be setting boundaries, right? Like not having to spend every second of every day together. This is another boundary. It’s okay.”

Another slow nod. Adora smiles. “Is this okay?” she asks, scratching a bit faster for emphasis.

“Yeah. This is… nice. I missed this.” It had been a long time since Catra had allowed Adora to pet her. She’d started rejecting it as they got older, considering it a sign of weakness. Why had she been so stupid?

“I missed it too,” Adora admits. There was something very relaxing about snuggling with Catra and scritching her head, listening to those purrs. It had been comfortable. Innocent. Something neither of them have been in a long time. Catra leans in a bit closer, tension draining slowly from her shoulders. “I get it, ya know? I haven’t had to think about it for so long, but everyone’s just… really loose when it comes to showing affection around here. And I’ve gotten used to it. I didn’t think about how you’d feel, though. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“I didn’t think about your feelings, so yeah, it kind of is. I was _so_ happy to have you here and have you with me, and like you said, it was easy to forget about everything bad when we first got home.” _Home_. The word elicits another purr. Adora bites her lip to keep from laughing. “I kept forgetting, though. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Really.” Catra’s, gaze drops to the floor. Melog is still with them, mane still flickering that same purplish color. That’s a new one. Catra will have to ask later what it means. “I _wanted_ to keep forgetting.”

“I know. But maybe this is better. We can work on things. You don’t have to be uncomfortable forever.” That thought has clearly never crossed Catra’s mind. She looks up, surprise flickering through her eyes. It makes Adora sad. Of course Catra hasn’t thought about her own comfort. “Can I move a little closer?”

Catra nods, and Adora scoots closer, tucking her legs under herself. She’s still scritching, and Catra doesn’t seem to mind. “What if I ask first?” Adora suggests after a moment. “Would that help? Giving you an option?”

“Maybe?” Catra says, ears twitching slightly. “It feels stupid, though.”

“It’s not stupid,” Adora assures her. “It’s important for you to feel comfortable. Okay?”

“Yeah… okay.” Catra’s shoulders droop. It’s a concession, and a hard one at that. Adora will take her win. “I think that’d be okay.”

Her ears twitch up as Adora gives her another extra hard scritch, and she purrs a little louder. Adora laughs before she can stop herself; she’s halfway through an apology when she sees Catra smiling. It finally feels like they’re getting somewhere.

“Catra?”

“Hm?”

“Can I hug you?”

A pause follows the question, and Adora is ready to apologize again when Catra finally nods. Adora moves closer, gently wrapping her arms around Catra and tugging her close but keeping her grip loose. Catra is still, shaking a little, and a third apology is on Adora’s lips when Catra suddenly closes the space, resting against Adora’s chest. She takes that as permission to tighten her hold just a little. Catra’s arms slowly wrap around Adora, loose at first, but her grip slowly grows stronger. Adora follows her pace until she’s sure her grip is making it hard to breathe, but Catra doesn’t make a sound. Her face is pressed into Adora’s neck, body full of tension again; the position feels familiar…

 _Oh_.

Adora holds Catra a little closer. It was the same as when they had hugged after Adora had rescued her from Horde Prime. After Adora had healed Catra.

“Is this okay?” she whispers. Catra nods with a small hum.

Adora’s not sure how long they sit like this before Catra finally begins to unwind a little. She shifts slightly to wipe her eyes over Adora’s shoulder, probably trying to hide the fact she had been crying.

“So… asking is good?” Adora guesses. Catra laughs, pulling away enough to look at Adora without breaking contact.

“Yes, dummy. Asking is good.”

“Okay. Good. Good.” Adora is suddenly very unsure of what to do with herself, and it shows. Catra gently tackles her so they fall back on the bed, and she curls into Adora’s chest.

“There’s… something else.”

“Hmm?” Adora looks at the top of Catra’s head, trying to keep the worry out of her hum. What else could there be?

“I um…” Catra fidgets nervously, keeping her head low. Whatever courage she had gotten from the conversation is quickly leaving her. “Maybe this is a bad idea.”

“No, no, it’s not,” Adora assures her quickly. Catra opening up to her is such a rare thing. She doesn’t want to lose it now. “It’s okay. Tell me.”

A little bit more fidgeting before Catra finally says, “I don’t want to have sex.”

Adora is completely blindsided. She blinks a couple of times, staring over Catra’s head at the wall across from them. “Oh,” is what she finally, stupidly says. Catra immediately begins to move away. “No no no no no! It’s okay, really!” Her voice is a little high-pitched, but it reassures Catra; she pauses, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “I mean, I hadn’t really… thought… about that. Have you been thinking about it?”

“Sorta?” Catra shrugs. “Netossa brought it up. I think she was trying to figure out if the not wanting to be touched thing was related. But I haven’t… _really_ thought about it? Just enough to know that I’m not really interested. Spinerella said she’s the same way, it’s a thing apparently, I don’t know, I just…”

Adora taps the top of Catra’s head; Catra slowly, carefully looks up, expression full of caution and fear. “I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do. I love you. I just want you to be happy. Tell me how to make that happen, and I’ll do whatever I can.”

Catra blushes, ducking her head again and tucking herself under Adora’s chin. “I love you too,” she whispers into Adora’s neck. Melog sits up, resting his chin on the bed to check on them. His mane has settled back into its usual blue.

They’re eventually interrupted by the sound of Adora’s stomach growling. “Food time?” Catra guesses with a snicker.

“Hey, I did a lot today. Bow and Glimmer ran me in circles.”

“Oh, was the mighty _She-Ra_ taken down by a guy with arrows and a sparkly girl?”

“Of course not!” Adora scoffs. “No one can beat She-Ra.”

“I’ll have to keep that in my mind when _I_ run you through the training sim,” Catra teases, wiggling out of Adora’s arms. “Race you downstairs?”

“You’re on.”

* * *

Dinner is a very _lively_ time in the palace. The princesses almost always choose to stay if they don’t have anything pressing waiting for them back home, and that’s bound to get loud.

Tonight it’s Frosta, Perfuma, Spinnerella, Netossa, and Scorpia. Entrapta had made a brief appearance before disappearing back to her castle workshop. No one is sure if she remembers she _has_ a kingdom.

“So Glimmer got her in a chokehold and I—”

A scream cuts off Bow’s story. “What was that?” Frosta asks, leaning back in her chair. Glimmer rolls her eyes and raises three fingers, counting down to two, one…

“You cheated!”

Catra bursts through the dining room doors, laughing, Adora right on her heels. “ _Please_ , like I need to cheat to beat you.”

Adora glowers and pounces, tackling Catra from behind. She yelps, stumbling forward a few steps. But they’re both laughing as they straighten up, walking to a couple of empty seats.

“Did Catra trip you on the stairs again?” Glimmer asks.

“No, she tripped me with her _tail_ this time.”

“Oh yeah, because my tail is definitely heavy to throw you off balance.” She emphasizes that by hitting Adora’s leg a few times. “Just admit I’m faster than you. You can _still_ be the strongest, don’t worry.”

Adora huffs. “Well, _yeah_ , of course I’m the strongest.”

She shoulders up against Catra for good measure. Catra pushes right back, smirking. It is, admittedly, not too different from the way they normally act, but there’s something… new to it. Glimmer and Bow watch discreetly for a moment, trying to figure it out. Are they closer? Usually one of them would pull away after shoving the other, but that space is gone.

Netossa and Spinerella exchange small smiles before going back to their meals. They don’t know for sure, of course, but they’re fairly confident there had been talking. And it had gone well, if those smiles are any indication.

They’re going to be okay. As long as they keep talking, they’ll be okay.


End file.
